Two Tucson siblings each pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony charge for their actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Cory Konold, 28, and Felicia Konold, 29, pleaded guilty to obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and aiding and abetting. The pleas were entered before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly in the District of Columbia. The two are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 24, 2024.
They were originally indicted in February 2021 on charges of conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and entering and remaining in a restricted building.
Felicia Konold, shown near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to court documents, the Konolds marched with a group of co-defendants, members of the Proud Boys from the Kansas City area, to the Capitol that morning.
“Just as the first police line was being overwhelmed, the Konolds made their way to the front of the crowd and became some of the first rioters to trample over the toppled barricades. The siblings then made their way past multiple subsequent lines of barricades and onto the Capitol’s Lower West Plaza, inside the restricted area,” the Justice Department said in a news release Wednesday.
Cory Konold, shown here near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Cory and Felicia Konold remained there despite being commanded by U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers to disperse, the release said. They used “the force of their bodies to try to push back the barriers and officers. Eventually, the Konolds made their way to the base of the Capitol building and onto the Upper West Terrace. The siblings illegally entered the Capitol building via the Senate Wing Door at approximately 2:25 p.m..” it continued.
“... The Konolds progressed into the Capitol Visitor Center and eventually exited the building via the Senate Wing Door. While inside the building, Cory Konold took possession of a USCP riot helmet. He brought the helmet home with him, and a family member later voluntarily turned it over to law enforcement at the defendant’s direction.”
Felicia Konold later made posts to social media boasting about the amount of influence she had over the events that unfolded that day, the release said.
The Justice Department said, “Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.”
The Konolds were arrested on Feb. 11, 2021, in Arizona. They were released from custody while the cases against them were prosecuted.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with help from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
